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9 Brilliant Tips to Get More Clients to Your Law Practice

Best Tips to Get More Clients to Your Law Practice

What’s the common challenge faced by rookie and veteran attorneys when it comes to marketing? When things are good, nobody really looks forward to hiring a lawyer. When things are good, nine out of ten people want a better car, house, or holiday destination.

On the other hand, virtually everyone treats attorneys like fire extinguishers. You become relevant only when people encounter real-life problems that require urgent attention.

How to get new clients by reaching out to people

1. Build strong relationships with your current clients

Providing legal services is different from selling products. The latter doesn’t require you to make personal connections with your clients because transactions can take place remotely. For instance, purchasing an iPad tablet on Amazon doesn’t require you to meet one-on-one with the seller.

Legal services are more personal because lives are at stake. Your clients need to believe that you have their best interests at heart. In order for them to remember you and refer their friends to your firm, make sure you genuinely interact with clients. How do you do this? By following up with them after a case to see how they are faring.

2. Gather plenty of positive online reviews

Why are positive reviews important? Because they enable potential clients to form their first impression of your law practice. A positive review communicates that former clients left happy and satisfied with your services. It’s also an indicator that you consistently offer value for money.

Start encouraging your clients to leave positive reviews on your social media pages and Google Maps. Your call to action can be in a simple email containing links to your Facebook business page. Make sure you follow up on these requests with subtle reminders.

3. Become a subject matter expert

Truth is, being a jack-of-all-trades rarely attracts long-term clients. Why does this strategy fail? Because one attorney cannot be brilliant in more than two branches of law. Some clients will go home happy while others will feel short-changed due to your inexperience.

In order to draw clients consistently through referrals, smart attorneys specialize in one area. It could be criminal or divorce cases. Potential clients take you more seriously because they believe you have a deeper understanding than a general attorney does.

4. Get out more

Apart from using mainstream advertising channels, you may want to reach out to areas that are less appealing. For instance, giving free talks to hospital patients looking for attorneys to help them file for compensation. In this situation, it’s probably unlikely that you’ll convert a patient into a client. However, your initiatives directly boost your reputation to the point where hospital staff or former patients refer paying clients to you.

You can also reach out to law schools and give talks about the current challenges and breakthroughs in the industry. Doing this enables you to meet and form relationships with law professors. Out of these networks, you’ll get referrals consistently.

5. Invest in a good customer care team

Does your website have a message form where potential clients can ask questions about your services? If yes, how long do you take to respond to these messages? Thriving law practices usually respond in 24 hours or less. Why is this important? Because they know that a fast response is one of the keys to gaining the trust of a potential client.

The good news is that you really don’t need to hire a full-time customer care team. It can be expensive for a small or medium-sized practice. However, you can still provide 24-hour support by hiring virtual assistants to handle all questions posted on your website by potential clients.

6. Establish a strong referral network

In service-based industries, 80-90% of the business you do comes from referrals. Perhaps you met your current barber or hairdresser through a referral from a colleague at work or a friend on Twitter. When your car develops an unexpected problem, the first person you’re most likely to call is a friend or relative who knows good mechanics.

As an attorney, you can build referral networks by maintaining active friendships with your former law school classmates. When you refer someone to them, he or she will feel obligated to return the favor. Real estate managers and investors are also great referral sources because buying and selling of buildings require the presence of an attorney.

7. Reach out to your former employers

Smart attorneys maintain active relationships with their previous employers due to one important reason; referrals. Some bosses actually encourage their employees to step out and start their own practices. Why do they do this? To encourage career growth.

When you have a good relationship with law firms you previously worked for, your former employers won’t mind referring a few clients every now and then.

8. Join local bar associations

Joining a bar enables you to widen your referral network by meeting and linking with different attorneys from various fields of law. Some of these connections will give you high-paying clients that aren’t available online. For instance, the 50 or 60-year-old millionaires who have little regard for computers.

A local bar association also enhances your credibility especially when you’ve just moved into a new city. New clients will want to hire you after seeing you in a picture with well-known local attorneys.

9. Have a podcast or active YouTube channel

Nowadays, it’s easy to build a large following of people thanks to the internet. Some attorneys have adapted to this digital age by creating interactive digital content that’s relevant to clients. For instance, creating podcasts where hosts invite various guests to speak about certain issues relevant to their subject matter.

Alternatively, you can create a YouTube channel where you interview professionals related to your subject matter. If you’re a divorce lawyer, you can interview child protective services employees so that your audience learns more about their rights in such situations.

Apply these tips today!

Once you start following these tips, you’ll notice how easy it is to engage and convert potential clients. The secret to reaping success is practicing this advice consistently.